Joanne Harris

a novel

The girl with no shadow

window

I just finished reading Chocolat and thought it was excellent. I have to say that this book disappointed quite a bit. One of the things that I thought was most charming about Chocolat was its quaintness - it was difficult for me to pinpoint the exact time period that the novel took place in, the description of small town French life was charming, and the references to the magic and past events were vague enough to keep the reader wondering about things.

This book, on the other hand, lacked the charm of its predecessor. Unlike Chocolat, where the "magic" could have been real or simply imagined by the characters, in Girl With No Shadow, there was no doubt that the magic was real as it played a heavy-handed, key part in the story. I also wondered about Zozie's fascination with stealing Vianne's "life". I didn't understand the appeal to Zozie as she criticized Vianne and seemed to feel contempt for her. Zozie had targeted her long before she found out about Anouk's talents. Roux's reappearance also troubled me. we left him in Chocolat as a one-night-stand with Vianne. From that, enduring love was born? Big jump. Finally, I missed the Vianne from Chocolat - the Vianne in this book was not very likeable, lacking any spark of spunk, personality, or independence that only marginally reappeared at the very end of the book.

Janet Doré

I had the same reaction to this book as to Chocolat...I want to bathe myself in chocolate, I want to make chocolate a part of my every day, I want to worship chocolate! I'm always leary of sequels...especially when the first book was an all-time favorite (which is the case with Chocolat). While not quite as good as Chocolat, Joanne Harris came darn close in The Girl With No Shadow. Of course, it always makes a book better when you've been to the place where it is set...I could see Montmartre and her people as Harris describes them (perfectly). The story kept me turning pages...until very late last night! Definitely worth reading...I think you'd feel the same even if you didn't read Chocolat (or see the movie).

The girl with no shadow a novel

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